Good morning: The NYC region is holding its breath as Hurricane Sandy, with its 85 MPH winds, makes its approach. The MTA shut down yesterday, stock market is closed, schools are shuttered and residents living in coastal areas (Zone A in NYC) have been ordered to evacuate. The big worry: The surges from the storm and the full moon high tide.
As The Weather Channel's Stu Ostro declared yesterday, "History is being written as an extreme weather event continues to unfold, one which will occupy a place in the annals of weather history as one of the most extraordinary to have affected the United States...A meteorologically mind-boggling combination of ingredients is coming together...This is an extraordinary situation, and I am not prone to hyperbole."
The center of the storm (see this map) is still expected to hit southern New Jersey first, with high tide this morning and then another high tide this evening. A meteorologist in Mount Holly, NJ, Mark DeLisi told the Star-Ledger, "Actually, this is a little horrifying. It is possible that between the morning high tide and evening tide, it will never drop below flooding.” Here's a video of how Sandy has gained steam:
A storm surge of up to 11 feet could come to New York—for instance, Battery Park City saw a surge of four feet during Hurricane Irene, and Hurricane Sandy might bring 7-8 feet surges.
Useful links, including maps:
